Remembering Glenn Moore

Posted by suzichristie on February 25, 2019

At the end of January, we were saddened to learn of the passing of Glenn Moore. Glenn had been a client of Blueberry PR for around seven years, after first meeting Suzi when she needed help with a planning problem.

I knew Glenn only in a work capacity, although that did mean I came to know his favourite colour – Madder Lake – his favourite sculptor - Constantin Brâncuși – and his favourite sport – cricket.

I first came into contact with Glenn when I was asked to work on his social media sites. My role soon developed, however, as I began to help write his press releases and blog.

The blogs were initially designed to be a way to promote his design work and the successes he had dealing with planning authorities. As with my role, this soon changed to reflect Glenn’s campaigning spirit. Encompassing topics as varied as ‘good’ design, the need for better co-operation between stakeholders when dealing with old buildings, and why you need professional help when dealing with old buildings, he slowly started to use the blog as a way to address planning and design issues that he thought needed tackling.

Glenn was never afraid to get into an argument. Subjects such as why a local authority was buying a shopping centre, or questions over the appointment of Sir Roger Scruton to head the government’s ‘Building Better, Building Beautiful’ Commission, mattered to Glenn. He wasn’t afraid to ask questions that may bring him into conflict with people but as he always said to me – it’s better to be unpopular and ask the difficult questions, because these things need bringing into the public domain.

Glenn was the man for that job. Unafraid. Ready to be unpopular. Glenn seemed to delight in making a nuisance of himself to the powers that be. The fact he came at this with considerable knowledge and expertise, certainly put him in a position of power. When I wrote something for him, he would check it and, as he often wrote back to me – ‘sorry to be pedantic’ – he corrected technical errors a layman like me would miss. I thought it was brilliant; to have someone who knows their stuff, is a joy.

Glenn hated the bland. One of his complaints about the direction of the Government’s commission was Scruton championed ‘bland’ pastiches of former architectural glories. He often wrote – without change these is no history. He wasn’t wrong. The designs I saw by him reflected everything from ultra-modern dwellings encompassing the latest eco-features, to sympathetic renovations of listed buildings. Nothing was bland, everything looked stunning.

There is much more I wanted to write for Glenn – he had just started to look at the running of National Parks as his next campaign – and I always wanted to write about his transition from budding sculptor to architectural designer. The latter of these two I only got a tantalising glimpse of when he sent me a couple of pictures of his work, including a photograph of a stunning skull sculpted from Sussex Marble.

I never met Glenn. You may wonder why, then, I have been so greatly affected by his passing. The simple answer is, I saw great passion in his work. Sometimes I felt like I had to tone down some of his comments for public consumption, especially when it came to certain high-profile architecture commentators, but it was clear to me design and form were something he greatly loved, and that has rubbed off on me. In recent months, Glenn often commented how closely my writing reflected his views – scary he called it. To work with someone like that is a privilege.